Do you check food labels for sodium content?

[vitauta]

are you aware of how much sodium is in that package of ground beef you just picked up for dinner tonight? i was shocked to learn that the one lb. chub of ground sirloin i bought already contains a whopping 300mgs. of sodium. is that sodium in there as a preservative to lengthen the shelf-life of the meat at the store? i don't know. but i'm beginning to think i need to ask for fresh ground beef from a boneless hunk of chuck or sirloin, etc. of my own selection. i'm afraid to think what i'm apt to find next if i really open my eyes and look....300mg.--that's more salt than what's in two of my thick bacon slices!! don't look, don't look, don't....

 

[pacanis]

No.

 

[Andy M.]

That's naturally occurring sodium in the meat, not an additive to preserve the ground beef. Many foods have naturally occurring minerals including sodium.

A four ounce burger made from ground beef would contain 75 milligrams of sodium. That's about 3% of your recommended daily intake. That's if you don't put salt on your burger before or after you grill it.

 

[Andy M.]

Oh, I forgot. No, I don't check food labels for sodium content.

 

[GrillingFool]

Yup, I do. It is often very scary.
I especially hate that all the meat providers.. beef, pork and chicken,
are trending toward injecting everything with up to 18% brine solutions.
(Which, along with the added unwanted salt, I am also paying up to 18%
more... which I think is the ultimate reason for the brine injections.)

 

[kezlehan]

Don't want to sound stupid but what harm can too much sodium do? I don't tend to add salt to my food, as personally it doesn't make a difference to me. But what can the natural amounts of sodium cause?

 

[Dawgluver]

Don't want to sound stupid but what harm can too much sodium do? I don't tend to add salt to my food, as personally it doesn't make a difference to me. But what can the natural amounts of sodium cause?

People with high blood pressure, heart conditions, and those prone to water weight gain have to watch their sodium intake. Probably a factor in some other conditions too.

I check.

 

[PattY1]

Yes

 

[Addie]

I have the grinder for my KA mixer. I buy a large chuck boneless roast and grind it myself. The first time I did this I was pleasantly surprised at how fresh it tasted. Since I started reading labels and cooking from scratch as much as I can, my taste buds are so happy. And my diabetes numbers are really low. Can't be happier.

I realize that for working mothers, scratch cooking is not always possible. But there is no excuse for not reading labels. There are so many chemicals added to our foods. It is time we started a revolt. Fresh or frozen veggies vs. canned. I go with the fresh first, then the frozen. Meats? Well since my first husband was a professional chef, he taught me how to cut my meats. So I try to have my butcher give me pieces right off the side of the animal. I do the trimming myself. Everyday, the truck from Chicago pulls up to his shop and unloads several animals. So I know the meat is fresh. I prefer to add my own salt. Sea Salt.

 

[Barbara L]

I haven't thought to check sodium levels on my ground beef, but yes I check sodium levels on pretty much everything that comes packaged. If I eat too much sodium my ankles balloon up. I stopped routinely salting my food years ago (even before I developed high blood pressure) and have learned to appreciate the natural saltiness of many foods. I do still lightly salt corn on the cob and a few things.

When comparing products I am thinking of buying I compare other things too, but the sodium levels are what usually make my mind up.

Barbara

 

[Steve Kroll]

No.

 

[Chef Munky]

Absolutely do.

Having high blood pressure I have no choice but to watch any and all salt intake.
I cook from scratch, no processed food. If I do add salt it's usually Kosher or Sea salt. It's only at the end. I prefer to try other means depending on what I'm cooking for a substitute for salt. Most times just a dab of bacon grease does the trick. Let the meat and veggies work together for some kind of balance.

Munky.

 

[Zereh]

Newp, because I don't buy enough packaged food for it to even be a concern.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Absolutely, my blood pressure rises and falls greatly depending on my salt intake. I prefer to add my own salt (sea salt or kosher salt) and manage my intake better. If I do buy processed foods, like canned soups to haul to work, I get the "no salt added" which usually have 70-100 mg of naturally occurring sodium.

I am actually a salt connoisseur, I have multiple small containers that I carry with me with different types of Sea Salt; I pick and choose which I would like on my unsalted foods. I just purchased 0.2 pounds of Alderwood Smoked Sea Salt, it is great on steamed veggies.

 

[vitauta]

until my dad passed away three years ago, i was as good a watchdog as i could be, monitoring sodium and fat in the foods we consumed as a family, relying on just my "common sense" and reading nutrition labels of suspect foods. dad wa a heart patient with high blood pressure and cholesterol. he died from none of these conditions. but i became nutritionally lazy and indifferent after his passing, and have remained so to this day....

so, here i am. the following salt crimes are my own doing, and entirely my responsibility:

me, greedily licking the salty/limy rim of my margarita glass. all the way around...

me, eating a blt, piled high with 6-8 bacon slices, (with a few extra on the side)....

me, digging into a commercial pizza with pepperoni and XXX-tra cheeezz....

me, lovin' my reuben on rye, heaped with corned beef or pastrami, cheese, sauerkraut and 1000 island dressing, + a barrel pickle....


but here's what i'm responsible for too, totally out of ignorance, but still:


fresh meats--(chicken, beef and pork) "enhanced" with salty broth--processed--to the tune of hundreds of mgs. of sodium, apparently to make the product moister and heavier. as in weighing more....

store bought rolls and bread--100-400 mgs. sodium per slice or serving. who knew bread was so salty?

cereal--my evening snack of cornflakes has over 400mgs. sodium--i didn't even look there. salty corn flakes?! yup....

we all know about processed luncheon meats, canned soups, canned everything. but there are many not-so-obvious places where sodium is hiding--in plain sight.
milk, mayo, baking powder and soda and on and on...with 70% or more sodium already in the foods we consume--before we ever pick up a salt shaker, (internet source) i think we need to have better information about what is and isn't in the foods we eat every day of our lives....

 

[PrincessFiona60]

I know Vit...I was very careful about my salt intake before I was diagnosed with High Blood pressure, I got very discouraged when I received my diagnosis...if I got it anyway, then why bother paying attention. Same with the diabetes. I can't fight my genetics, all I can do is my best to control the highs and lows. It really doesn't help that I have developed a sweet tooth after I quit smoking...

 

[buckytom]

yes, i read labels for sodium as well as fat and cholesterol.

you really don't want to look at the sodium content in those asian instant noodle bowls. at first glance, it looks like there merely %52 of the recommended daily intake, but then there's two servings. 104% in one small bowl!

and yeah, bread is scary. then add some salty cold cuts and a salty condiment. mmmm, lunch with a beta blocker chaser.

 

[Aunt Bea]

I read them for sodium, sugar, fat etc.

I make some of my choices based on the information and I limit the use of salt and sugar in my cooking.

Sometimes I chuck out all of the rules, eat like I did when I was growing up and the whole world was ignorant.

Ignorance is bliss!

 

[Timothy]

Yes, as I take 13 pills a day to control what my body does or doesn't do, I feel like I would be working against my Doctor if I didn't check and compare labels on the foods I buy.

I'm diabetic Type II and have had 5 heart bypasses, along with several major heart attacks and one stroke. Those are something no one wants to go through, take my word for it. I lost some of my peripheral eyesight as a result of the stroke and the heart attacks and bypasses changed almost everything in my entire life, so resolving the issues that created the health problems was something I had to do to avoid a recurrence of them.

It's been 13 years since my heart bypasses and almost 35 since the stroke, so I'm doing good and will continue to monitor and restrict the types of additives I put into my body. It only makes good sense.

For those who know I'm 59, yes, I had the stroke when I was in my 20s and was only 46 when I had the heart attacks. I used to eat outrageously poorly and practically poured grease down my neck. I laughed at all the warnings about eating well and paid the price for that laughter. It was NOT a fair trade!

 

[justplainbill]

On packaged foods, almost always. I'm also careful to avoid frequent high consumption of most cold cuts and many cheeses and do not eat nearly as many olives as I'd like. We make our own salad dressings to reduce sodium consumption and prefer homemade baked goods, fruit preserves and ice cream to reduce sugar intake.